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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. net — in sport
  4. stand — to bear
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pit — a hole
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. snap — to click
  20. pit — in a race
  21. fine — all right
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. stand — for spectators

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com